A weapon that couldn't be converted into a Curse Tool held significantly less value to Shinji.
It was like having two blades that were equally sharp—one could only be used to cut people, while the other could cut people and shoot fire and lightning at the same time.
If it were you, which one would you prefer?
(Hidan: "Well said! I choose the one that only cuts people.")
Shinji had just stepped outside with the freshly forged Bloodstained Triple-Blade Scythe in hand when a black shadow suddenly sprang out from the bushes beside him.
"Damn it! What the hell was that?!"
Startled into a reflexive response, Shinji didn't even think—he instinctively raised the weapon and slashed out.
"Hey, you—"
Pff!
Thunk!
Before the shadow could finish two words, the entire person was pinned to a nearby tree.
Only then did Shinji see clearly who it was, and his eyes widened immediately.
"Hidan?!"
"Shinji, you bas—"
"Wah!"
Hidan had just opened his mouth to curse when his throat tightened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Talk about bad luck!
He'd searched the base for half the day without finding Shinji. In the end, it was Sect Leader Takihata who told him Shinji was here.
So Hidan had quietly snuck over, planning to see what that bastard was secretly doing—hiding away for days without even showing his face.
Who would've thought that the moment he jumped out, he'd receive such an enthusiastic welcome?
"Uh, misunderstanding—total misunderstanding. I mean, why didn't you walk on the main path? You just had to hide in the bushes and scare people. What is this, hide-and-seek?"
Seeing Hidan nailed to the tree, Shinji felt pretty awkward himself. To cover up that awkwardness, he decided to strike first with accusations.
Of course, he didn't forget to pull Hidan down.
And then—
Pff!!
The wound immediately began spurting blood!
That earlier strike had punched three massive holes diagonally through Hidan's upper body. If Shinji had used a bit more force, cutting him clean in half wouldn't have been out of the question.
He was already in agonizing pain, and before he could even catch his breath, a huge pot was slammed right over his head.
Hidan felt like he was about to die of anger!
"Get the hell away from me!" Hidan glared furiously.
"Why are you getting all worked up? If you hadn't suddenly jumped out of the bushes to scare me, I wouldn't have attacked you in the first place."
"Don't touch me! I don't want to see you ever again!"
"Alright, alright, I won't touch you. Just remember to stuff your intestines back in later—there are a lot of wild dogs around here. Don't come blaming me if you're missing half a piece or something."
"CHI! MU! SHIN! JI! I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
The moment he got emotional, Hidan started spraying blood again…
The scene was, frankly, pretty tragic.
Shinji couldn't help but feel a bit of compassion. He sighed helplessly, crouched down, and picked up Hidan's… leg.
Then he dragged him away, upside down.
"No need to thank me. After all, we've worked together—this is only what I should do."
At that moment, Shinji felt as though he were bathed in light.
Well, of course there was light—Hidan's furious glare was practically burning holes through Shinji's back!
And the truly terrifying part was still to come.
Mocking Cultist A: "Yo, isn't that little Hidan? Long time no see—why do you look so pathetic?"
Smiling Shinji: "Ah, come on now. You make it sound like he was ever sturdy to begin with."
Helpful Cultist B: "Shinji, honestly, you really go too hard sometimes. You've got to be more careful next time. Look at Hidan—his guts are falling out!"
Smiling Shinji: "Absolutely, absolutely. I'll be careful next time, for sure."
Loud Cultist C: "Who's the inconsiderate bastard that left blood all over the ground and didn't even clean it up?!"
Smiling Shinji: "Sorry about that—it's my fault—"
Loud Cultist C: "I knew it was you, kid—Hidan!"
"Huh?"
Both Shinji and Hidan froze.
"Huh what? All this blood—if it's not yours, then whose is it?"
"Not me, I—"
"What do you mean not you?! Everyone's watching and you still dare to argue?! Are you telling me the blood on the ground didn't come from those holes in your body?!"
"I'll f—"
"Alright, we'll let it slide this time. Don't let it happen again."
Hidan rolled his eyes in rage. The blood vessels that had just barely healed burst open again, and blood started spraying out.
Cultist C, who had only just walked a few steps away, immediately darkened his expression.
Shinji hurriedly said, "Easy, easy—calm down. The kid didn't mean it. Hot temper, strong blood. Spray too much and it'll all run out."
Good grief—spray too much and it'll all run out.
Truly worthy of the ninja world's master of nonsense philosophy!
After finally sending away Cultist C—who seemed to be on duty today—Shinji chatted with five people about the weather, asked six people what they were having for dinner, and praised Lord Jashin together with seven others…
Then, after warmly greeting eighteen more people (with hand gestures—the kind you'd see from a Black hip-hop rapper), he finally dragged a barely-alive Hidan into the medical room.
Heaven and earth bore witness—when Hidan saw the doctor, he almost cried.
"I swear… one day in the future, I, Hidan, will repay all this humiliation a thousandfold!"
"If I don't kill him, I swear I'm not human!"
"And those guys who mocked me—every last one of them, I'll kill them all!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
The doctor frowned in displeasure.
"Just how hard did you hit him? Why'd you beat him to the point of tears?"
Shinji looked ashamed.
"My fault, my fault. I didn't know he was this fragile. Doctor, is there still hope?"
The doctor shook his head.
"With injuries this severe, there's no hope. Just wait to die—uh, wait for him to heal on his own."
"But we can't just leave him like this."
"That's true. Wait here—I'll go call a tailor."
"..."
"Oh, right. You should help him stuff his intestines back in first. Don't leave any parts outside, or it'll be hard to sew later."
"…Understood."
The doctor left, leaving only Shinji and Hidan staring at each other.
Before long, the intestines were stuffed back in, and the tailor arrived.
Don't ask why there was a tailor in the Jashin cult. Just know that the unfortunate souls in the dungeon were all remarkably multi-talented.
And this tailor's craftsmanship was exquisite. Though he was frightened and shaky at first, once he finished hypnotizing himself, his stitches became beautifully neat and delicate!
Just like practicing on pigskin back in the day!
"Alright, it's almost done."
"Nice work," Shinji said, giving him a thumbs-up after a glance.
The tailor chuckled shyly.
"Could you pass me the scissors? I need to cut the thread."
"What scissors?"
"Scissors for cutting things."
"I didn't see any. Did any of you take his scissors?"
"..."
After exchanging glances, the room suddenly fell silent.
Then, in perfect unison, everyone's eyes locked onto Hidan's freshly stitched abdomen…
At some point, the tailor had gone deathly pale, standing there trembling.
And Hidan's gaze slowly turned murderous.
----
20 Power Stones= 1 additional chapters.